Cochran getting lots of campaign help from his Senate friends

Sen. Thad Cochran’s Republican Senate colleagues are stepping up for their old friend.

According to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, between June 9 and 12 "Cochran received a huge influx of money from fellow Republican lawmakers, who gave a combined $77,600 to his campaign." Cochran is vying with State Sen. Chris McDaniel in the June 24 Mississippi Republican runoff election.

The maximum a senator can give is $5,000, and the roster of generous Republicans is lengthy: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Susan Collins of Maine, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, John Barrasso and Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Dan Coats of Indiana, John Thune of South Dakota, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

The biggest contribution, though, came from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Befoire the June 3 primary, the Center reported, he gave Mississippi Conservatives, a Super PAC that’s helping Cochran, $250,000.

The center also found "Another unexpected donor chipped in weeks before the primary: Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, who also gave $250,000. Parker has a history of funding progressive causes.

McDaniel "overall received more smaller donations than his rival, with few contributions from political action committees" prior to the June 3 primary, the center said.

But, it added, " Many individual contributions to his campaign, however, originated from outside Mississippi and had been bundled by Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund."